Pesky phone calls

[Jerrymac]

I'm sure at one time or other everyone has experienced the joy in life of being behind on bills. And what happens? You start getting these phone calls. But have you ever gotten a call from a recorded message?

In this house there is myself, ofcourse, my wife, and 12yr old son. My daughter and her guy, (we consider him the son-in-law even though they are not "legally" married), and thier baby. Our grandson. Then we have a friend that lives with us and his wife. They are older than myself and he is considered some where in the nieghborhood of 110% disabled. But he manages.

Every now and then there will be this phone call with a recorded message say it is importate that you call ***-***-****. Now who in this house hold is suppose to call?

There are these other messages saying it is not a solicitation but you need to call this number for important .... something or other.

OH! And the really neat one. All agents are buisy, please hold for the next available..... Yeah right. CLICK.

My question is, does any oneelse get those phone messages and actually hang the phone up and dial that number? What we do here is hang-up as soon as we find it is recorded. I have to wonder because it would seem to me if the recorded messages didn't produce results, "they" would stop that practice.

[thegolfpsycho]

Can you still get on the no phone solicitation list?  I signed up via internet and haven't had any calls since.  It was critical for me since I worked a rotating shift,   530 to 6.  The only decent thing to come out of DC in decades.

[Jerrymac]

But these are bill collectors. I know there is some harassment law, but not sure of the deffinition. I told one collector one day that I think five calls in one day was bordering on harassment. He said it wasn't. Oh well.

My son-in-law started answering "Chucky Cheese" Or some other wise crack remark. Makes it funny when his boss calls.

[Beth Kirkley]

I was getting some harrassing bill collectors for a bit (an old school loan). Until one of them started screaming at me. That got me very upset, so the husband took the phone. That fixed that. I haven't received one more.

I couldn't believe how the guy on the phone was wigging out on me - screaming, cussing - totally flipping out, as if it was HIM I owed.

I heard of a bill collector that actually told my husband's aunt that he'd have her kids taken through social services if she didn't start paying her bill. That poor woman was convinced, and was completely terrified. When HER husband saw she was crying, he walked over, and I think he hit the guy.

I'm amazed at the lengths they'll go to.

Beth

[Lesli]

A bill collector regularly calls my aunt--not because she owes money, but her neighbor does. The bill collector wants her to give the neighbor a message. Forget that!

[BigRog]

Lesli, your nieghbor should contact a lawyer.
She is now entitled to having that debt erased and the collection agency will have to cut her a check for three times the amount that was owed.

I simply hang up when it's a recording. If I am not important enough for a human to contact me, screw'em.